One Maryland One BookJoin Maryland’s biggest book club—One Maryland One Book! 2014 One Maryland One Book is The Distance Between Us: A Memoir by Reyna Grande. This book relates the story of life before and after entering the United States from Mexico as an undocumented immigrant. One Maryland One Book is funded by the Division for Library Development and Services with a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services. The author, Reyna Grande, vividly brings to life her tumultuous early years in this story of a childhood spent torn between two parents and two countries. As her parents make the dangerous trek across the Mexican border to "El Otro Lado" (The Other Side) in pursuit of the American dream, Reyna and her siblings are forced into the already overburdened household of their stern grandmother. When their mother at last returns, Reyna prepares for her own journey to "El Otro Lado" to live with the man who has haunted her imagination for years, her long-absent father.

AskUsNow! is a 24/7 live online interactive service. It uses the expertise of librarians to provide the residents of Maryland and students of Marylandeducational institutions with answers to questions, research guidance, and help navigating the Internet.

MERLIN is an online networking site for maryland librarians, where they can check online trainings offered locally and nationally and register online for classes. Staff development coordinators contribute to online discussions, compare stories, and network with other library staff.

NFB-NEWSLINE® is an automated, interactive audio-information service provided for persons who have visual disabilities.Through a phone call, a patron can access news service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

ll library staff must complete a 90 hour orientation course which provides the overview of library work. Topics in the training are:

• How to answer a reference question• How to use a search engine

• Visit to the StateLibraryResourceCenter• Customer service and effective communication

• Community information

• Introduction to ebooks

• Reader’s advisory

Maryland INTER-Library Loan

This project provides for the transportation of inter-library loan library materials on a regular basis throughout the state of Maryland.All inter library loan materials are delivered to and received from the Pratt Library in Baltimore.

Summer Reading is a project of the Maryland Public Libraries.Readers from birth through high school can participate by registering at their local public library. Maryland is part of the Collaborative Library Summer Program, which provides graphics and other promotional materials for the program. The theme for Summer Reading 2013 is "Dig into Reading".

Contact Information

Division of Library Development and ServicesMaryland State Department of Education